This webinar uses data from Project FORESIGHT to examine the effects of the opioid crisis on the demands for laboratory resources and the direct and indirect effects on the work of forensic laboratories.

The dramatic increase in abuse of opioids has an impact on all facets of society. Using data from Project FORESIGHT for a few of the most highly impacted jurisdictions, we examine some of the trends in the forensic laboratory as the opioid crisis grows. This includes a look at the direct changes in case volume, productivity, and processing costs for drug/controlled substances, toxicology ante mortem, and toxicology post mortem; but also includes an examination on the indirect effects on all other areas of investigation in the laboratory. The implications from a review of the data suggest that laboratories must monitor their own trends and plan accordingly or else risk having diverted resources begin to cripple the laboratory’s ability to deal with all of its casework.

ONE OF THE CHALLENGES of writing and editing a magazine is telling a story in a relatively small amount of space. Sometimes it seems like there is never enough room to say everything that needs to be said. I find myself making tough decisions about what parts stay and what parts go.